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I used to play competitive A LOT when I was younger, my best was 3rd place for an all Ontario (Canada) competition and I won some county competitions. But it go

I used to play competitive A LOT when I was younger, my best was 3rd place for an all Ontario (Canada) competition and I won some county competitions. But it got to the point of being too time consuming and too boring, all you're doing is memorizing openings and certain strategies for middle play and end game situations rather than playing. Having said that I really enjoy going through the old Master's games. If you're into Chess then I suggest getting 'The Most Instructive Games of Ches Ever Played' by Chernev (http://www.amazon.com/Most-Instructive-Games-Chess-Played/dp/0486273024 http://www.amazon.com/Most-Instructive-Games-Chess-Played/dp...). He goes through each game explaining the strategy and contexts of the games and moves, really enjoyable if you're into Chess. chessgames.com is a cool site for going through their archive of games. My favorite is 'The Game of the Century' with Fischer who was my favorite: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008361 http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008361

shazow 16y ago
Nice, I think I might have played in the same provincial tournament (Ontario). Tied for 2nd in the Intermediate devision when I was in highschool. That particular tournament took place in Trent University. (I'm shazow on Chess With Friends!)
- alanthonyc 16y ago
  Just started a game. ;)
num1 16y ago
I had a similar experience. I was a strong contender for the US West amateur championship for a few years. But once I got good enough to spend most of my thinking time on positional concerns things stopped being a game and started being a huge database to memorize. I would spend my free time analyzing my games for weaknesses in my strategy, and practiced speed problem solving using giant books of tactical problems. Everybody serious about chess hits the point of diminishing returns per unit of studying, and I believe that the "good" players are the people who can ignore the impossibility of their task and keep studying anyway. There are probably better solutions to the problem of diminishing returns than quitting cold turkey, (the solution I chose) but I'm convinced my experiences with chess have made me a much better programmer. Looking ahead at the consequences of my actions, being able to look for oddball solutions to impossible situations, never giving up, and occasionally memorizing established solutions are all things I'm appreciative to chess for teaching me.
- travisjeffery 16y ago
  Yeah, basically there's a point where you come to an ultimatum: "Do I want chess to be my life?" and we chose no -- simple as that. And it seems we're both happy we took that path! :)
  - num1 16y ago
    Hmm, I was content to show agreement simply by up-voting your comment, then I realized that was an anonymous action. So publicly, +1 to your comment, you hit it right on the nail.
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tarmstrong 16y ago
I think my best was 4th for all Ontario. How old are you?

shazow 16y ago

Nice, I think I might have played in the same provincial tournament (Ontario). Tied for 2nd in the Intermediate devision when I was in highschool. That particular tournament took place in Trent University. (I'm shazow on Chess With Friends!)

alanthonyc 16y ago
Just started a game. ;)

num1 16y ago

I had a similar experience. I was a strong contender for the US West amateur championship for a few years. But once I got good enough to spend most of my thinking time on positional concerns things stopped being a game and started being a huge database to memorize. I would spend my free time analyzing my games for weaknesses in my strategy, and practiced speed problem solving using giant books of tactical problems. Everybody serious about chess hits the point of diminishing returns per unit of studying, and I believe that the "good" players are the people who can ignore the impossibility of their task and keep studying anyway. There are probably better solutions to the problem of diminishing returns than quitting cold turkey, (the solution I chose) but I'm convinced my experiences with chess have made me a much better programmer. Looking ahead at the consequences of my actions, being able to look for oddball solutions to impossible situations, never giving up, and occasionally memorizing established solutions are all things I'm appreciative to chess for teaching me.

travisjeffery 16y ago
Yeah, basically there's a point where you come to an ultimatum: "Do I want chess to be my life?" and we chose no -- simple as that. And it seems we're both happy we took that path! :)
- num1 16y ago
  Hmm, I was content to show agreement simply by up-voting your comment, then I realized that was an anonymous action. So publicly, +1 to your comment, you hit it right on the nail.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

tarmstrong 16y ago

I think my best was 4th for all Ontario. How old are you?